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Helen Palomino

Helen Palomino didn’t go straight into a doctoral degree program after earning her master’s degree in social work from San Diego State University in 2008.

She had a good reason for postponing her doctoral aspirations.

Palomino instead focused on helping her children achieve their college degrees while also establishing her career in the field of clinical social work.

She continues to work as a medical social worker at the Cancer Resource Center of the Desert, a nonprofit organizations in California where she provides social services and resources to individuals who have been diagnosed with cancer.

Each day, Palomino is faced with the uncertainty cancer brings to her patients, and she leans on her faith to give her the energy to deal with traumatic situations.

She knows that her ability to work one-on-one with cancer patients gives her the proper perspective and skills to become a skilled cancer health disparities researcher, and her desire to pursue a doctoral degree stems from wanting to better interact with and advocate for the people she serves.

Seeking direction on how to pursue a doctoral degree,Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training, which aims to increase research in Latino cancer disparities by encouraging master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.

By the end of the program, Palomino said the path was clearer.

“[The]Éxito!Summer Institute provided me the insight and clarity for taking the next steps in pursuing a PhD program,” she said.